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No return to old normal for foreseeable future — WHO

July 13, 2020

The World Health Organization has warned that the pandemic has the potential to get far worse. A German study showed schools may not play a strong role in the virus' spread. Follow DW for the latest.

https://p.dw.com/p/3fD1d
People sitting in 'social distanced' circles painted on the grass in a park
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Becker
  • California has begun shutting down again as cases surge
  • A study in Germany shows no evidence that school children play a role in spreading COVID-19 particularly quickly
  • The World Health Organization warns pandemic has the potential to get far worse

All updates in Universal Coordinated Time (UTC/GMT) 

Monday's coronavirus live coverage has finished, follow Tuesday's updates here

22:00 The UK has made the wearing of face masks in stores mandatory as of July 24.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government said "growing evidence that wearing a face covering in an enclosed space helps protect individuals and those around them from coronavirus."

The new requirement only applies in England. Scotland has already made masks compulsory in shops.

Anyone found not adhering to the measurement can be fined up to £100 ($125, €111) by the police under public health laws.

To date, the UK had only made face coverage obligatory on public transport and only recommended face masks be worn in stores.

Johnson — who has already recovered from COVID-19 — was seen wearing a face mask in public for the first time on Friday, when he suggested that the government was considering "stricter" rules for mask use.

Opposition Labour Party health spokesman Jonathan Ashworth questioned why the new measure would not come into force sooner, adding that the government "has been slow and muddled again over face coverings."

Read moreUK: Fears of resurgent terrorism as COVID-19 lockdown ends

21:30 The Chicago Marathon is the latest major race to be canceled due to the pandemic. The 43rd edition was slated to be held in October, with an estimated field of around 45,000 runners and wheelchair athletes.

"Like all Chicagoans, I'm personally disappointed that this year's event won't take place as originally planned; however, we look forward to welcoming all runners and their cheering squads once again when the Chicago Marathon returns to our city in full force for another very exciting race," said Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

This is the second time in history that the Chicago marathon has been canceled. The first time was in 1987, after loss of sponsorship.

Chicago is one of the six major marathons around the world, along with Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin and New York. The Tokyo marathon was held in March with only elite and wheelchair athletes. Boston, Berlin and New York were also canceled, but the London marathon is still scheduled to be held on October 4.

21:02 California governor Gavin Newsom ordered a retreat from the state's reopening amid a surge in cases. Restaurants, bars, wineries, movie theaters and zoos were asked to halt indoor operations statewide. Churches, salons and gyms have been closed in the hardest-hit counties.

On Monday, California's two largest school districts, Los Angeles and San Diego, announced that they would not be resuming in-person classes when schools reopen during the fall.

The state was the first in the US to issue a mandatory stay-at-home order. Most businesses were allowed to reopen in May, but a surge in cases and hospitalizations resulted in restrictions being reimposed. Newsom has described his flexibility in opening and closing businesses as a "dimmer switch."

California has reported around 329,100 cases and more than 7,000 deaths. Cases have spiked by 47% during the last two weeks, with a 28% increase in hospitalizations.

20:47 There is an "alarming, vertiginous" surge in COVID-19 case across Colombia, scientist and medics have warned.

Fifteen organizations have called for a two-week strict lockdown across the entire city of Bogota — the country's infection epicenter —  which on Monday started introducing rolling two-week quarantines in its hardest-hit neighborhoods.

Latin American deaths from the coronavirus have overtaken North American deaths for the first time since the pandemic started, according to Reuters news agency.

Mexico and Peru are among the nations with the highest number of COVID-19 deaths globally, while Chile, Colombia and Ecuador have also all suffered more than 5,000 deaths.

Colombia: Medical staff at risk

19:40 American immunologist Dr. Anthony Fauci on Monday attributed a surge in US coronavirus cases to a failure to shut down completely, then a rush to reopen too soon.

The US government's top infectious disease expert also urged a commitment to guidelines to smother COVID-19.

The outspoken aide warned that a number of states did not follow the public health guidelines for how to reopen safely and that the result is the current spike.

"We can get a handle on that. I am really confident we can," Fauci said.

"If we step back — you don't necessarily need to shut down again, but pull back a bit — and then proceed in a very prudent way of observing the guidelines step by step."

Just hours after Fauci's announcement, Californian Governor Gavin Newsom extended the closure of bars and indoor dining statewide and has ordered gyms, churches and hair salons closed in the hardest-hit counties.

US President Donald Trump had called on his supporters to liberate democratic governors from US states that had put in place particularly stringent protective measures in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

"Liberate Minnesota!", "Liberate Michigan!" and "Free Virginia!" Trump wrote in individual tweets.

17:36 Vietnam plans to resume commercial flights to and from neighboring China, the country's transport ministry said on Monday.

No deaths have been recorded in Vietnam and the country has not reported any community transmissions of the coronavirus for the past three months.

It was not immediately clear if passengers from China would be subject to Vietnam's 14-day quarantine period currently in place for visitors to the country. 

15:10 The United Nations says the coronavirus pandemic could push as many as 130 million more people into chronic hunger this year. The grim assessment was included in the latest edition of the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, an annual report which was released on Monday by five UN agencies.

Preliminary projections based on available global economic outlooks suggest the pandemic "may add an additional 83 to 132 million people to the ranks of the undernourished in 2020,'' the report said.

The situation was already bad, with nearly 690 million people going hungry last year — an increase of 10 million on 2018.
Progress in fighting hunger had stalled even before the pandemic, but the report's authors said that COVID-19 "is intensifying the vulnerabilities and inadequacies of global food systems'' — defined in the report as all activities and processes affecting the production, distribution, and consumption of food. 

14:40 The World Health Organization (WHO) director on Monday said there will be no return to the "old normal" for the foreseeable future. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that if the basics are not followed, the coronavirus pandemic has the potential of getting "worse and worse and worse."

"Let me be blunt, too many countries are headed in the wrong direction, the virus remains public enemy number one," Tedros told a virtual briefing from WHO headquarters in Geneva.

14:30 People under quarantine in North Macedonia — who could not leave their homes to vote in the country's general election — were visited on Monday by election officials carrying ballot boxes, reported AP.

Wearing white coveralls and other protective gear, the officials visited 700 quarantined voters who were unable to travel to polling stations.

With nearly 8.200 confirmed infections and 385 deaths, the Balkan country of some 2.1 million people is one of the hardest hit European nations in per capita terms. 

Members of a special election team visit voters under quarantine in the Macedonian capital, Skopje
Members of a special election team visit voters under quarantine in the Macedonian capital, SkopjeImage: picture-alliance/AP Photo/B. Grdanoski

14:06 The largest coronavirus study conducted on German schoolchildren and teachers so far has found that very few had antibodies to COVID-19, giving a strong indication that schools do not play a significant role in the spread of the infection.

The research carried out by the University Hospital in Dresden analysed blood samples from roughly 1,500 children aged between 14 and 18, and some 500 teachers from 13 schools in Dresden and the districts of Bautzen and Görlitz.

Germany began reopening schools in May, though debate continues as to the role children may play in spreading the virus.

Of the almost 2,000 samples, only 12 had displayed antibodies, Reinhard Berner from the University Hospital of Dresden confirmed.

"Children may even act as a brake on infection," Berner told a news conference.

Saxony's Education Minister Christian Piwarz (CDU) said the research showed schools in the German state can re-open at the end of August, albeit with certain restrictions in place, such as wearing face masks and social distancing where necessary.

13:35 Morocco reimposed lockdown measures in Tangiers on Monday, AFP reported. The northern port city suspended public transport, closed cafes and public spaces, and restricted movement following the appearance of "new infection clusters."  The measures were imposed by authorities to "prevent the spread of the virus" included requiring locals to stay at home.

Residents are only allowed to leave their homes "in cases of extreme necessity," Morocco's interior ministry said. "Exceptional authorization from local authorities" is needed to move within or beyond the city.

12:23 Japan's sumo association is allowing fans to watch its July tournament at Tokyo Arena despite a recent spike in coronavirus cases.

Around 2,500 spectators per day, or 25% of the arena's capacity, will be allowed to attend the 15-day event. The tournament, originally scheduled to take place in May, is set to begin on July 19.

The association had initially planned to hold the event without spectators but decided to admit fans "by thoroughly taking measures to prevent infections inside the facility."

Tokyo reported a single-day record of 243 new cases last week. The Japanese capital has recorded 7,937 cases and 325 deaths since the pandemic began, accounting for approximately a third of the national total in both respects.

12:05 Pakistan have banned open-air livestock markets in cities ahead of the upcoming Eid al-Adha holiday.

Instead, people will be allowed to buy and sell sacrificial animals at 700 designated markets, which will be set up outside cities across the country.

Eid al-Adha is a three-day holiday in which Muslims slaughter livestock and distribute part of the meet to the poor. The holiday is scheduled to begin on July 31 in Pakistan.

The country reported 69 new coronavirus deaths on Monday, bringing its total to 5,266 since the pandemic began. Pakistan has also recorded 251,625 cases, the 12th highest total in the world.

11:57 Experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) are in China to investigate the origin of COVID-19, the Chinese government confirmed.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said the two WHO experts would work with Chinese scientists and medical experts on "scientific cooperation on the new coronavirus tracing issue."

The WHO confirmed that an epidemiologist and an animal disease specialist have arrived in China, but did not give details regarding their itinerary. 

China had refused to allow a WHO investigation into the disease, which was first detected in the central industrial city of Wuhan. The government, has argued that the virus might have originated outside the country and has denied claims that it covered up the scale of the outbreak when it first spread.

11:03 Sri Lanka ordered schools across the country to close again a week after they reopened.

"Based on the direction of health authorities, it is decided to close schools this week," the Education Ministry said in a statement. "We will review the situation next week."

The ministry said private colleges have also been encouraged to close.

Sri Lanka has reported just 2,617 cases and 11 deaths since the pandemic began. But the country's army chief Shavendra Silva said nearly half of the 110,000 residents at a drug rehab facility near the island nation's capital of Colombo tested positive in the past week, and some visitors may have also been infected. 

10:51 The University of Saarland is conducting an antibody study to determine the rate of previously undetected infections among people with no or only slight symptoms of the coronavirus in the southwestern German state.

University researchers said the study will involve a representative sample of 2,300 people having their blood drawn and filling out a questionnaire. Starting next week, it will contact 5,000 random residents in Saarland to find test subjects.

Read more: German vaccine study draws thousands of volunteers

The university said it is currently unclear whether someone with antibodies in their blood is immune to the virus.

Saarland has registered 2,812 cases and 174 deaths since the pandemic began. The state's 283.9 cases per 100,000 residents is fourth among Germany's 16 states, behind only Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Hamburg.

10:20 A group of 83 millionaires from seven different countries called for higher taxes on the rich to help fund coronavirus recovery efforts.

Dubbing themselves "Millionaires for Humanity," the group said in an open letter that the effects of the pandemic "can't be solved with charity, no matter how generous."

10:03 Despite Russia recording more than 6,000 new cases per day, Moscow has relaxed its mandatory face mask rules

The city said the covering of noses and mouths is now voluntary. People are, however, still obligated to wear masks on public transport and when shopping.

Russia reported 6,537 new coronavirus infections and 104 deaths over the past 24 hours. The country has reported 733,699 cases and 11,439 deaths since the pandemic began.

Russia: Domestic abuse surges

09:47 The European Commission has approved a Dutch €3.4 billion ($3.85 billion) bailout package to airline KLM.

The Netherlands said last month it would support the Dutch arm of the Air France-KLM Airline conglomerate with €2.4 billion in bank loans with guarantees and a €1 billion direct loan.

The Dutch and French governments had been wrangling over the role each country would play in a coronavirus rescue deal.

09:09 Germany can prevent a second wave if people stay vigilant, especially during summer vacations, Health Minister Jens Spahn said.

"We have to try to prevent infections, particularly now during the holiday season," he said. "We don't automatically have to expect a second wave in the autumn and winter. We can prevent that together as a society as we did before — breaking the wave and keeping the pandemic in check."

Read more: Fewer Germans willing to get vaccinated, survey shows

Spahn said he was concerned by pictures of German nationals partying and ignoring social distancing practices in Mallorca, a popular tourist destination. He said it is important for Germans to remain alert when traveling abroad.

"I understand the impatience, but where there are parties, the infection risk is particularly high," Spahn said.

The health minister also added that 15.5 million people have installed Germany's CoronaWarn app and that 500,000 people were tested for the disease last week, the highest figure since the pandemic began.

08:44 The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) said the number of coronavirus cases in Germany has become manageable.

"The number of new cases has stabilized at a low level," RKI President Lothar Weiler said. "This is very good news."

The German health authority reported 189 new cases in Germany in the past 24 hours and one new death.

08:32 Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has given the go-ahead for the resumption of a small number of international flights to six nearby countries starting mid-July.

Nguyen has asked the country's Foreign Ministry and relevant embassies to arrange for the recommencement of flights to Guangzhou (China), Tokyo (Japan), Seoul (South Korea), Taiwan, Vientiane (Laos) and Phnom Penh (Cambodia), according to Vietnamese news outlet Dan Tri.

One or two flights will be permitted each week. Travelers entering the country will need to undergo a mandatory two-week quarantine. Vietnamese nationals, investors and business experts will be given priority. 

The number of new coronavirus cases in Vietnam has plateaued at 372, and the country has not reported any community transmissions in the last three weeks.

Thailand: Coronavirus and the collapse of tourism

08:16 A Spanish court suspended a stay-at-home order in the northeastern state of Catalonia after a surge of coronavirus cases.

Catalan authorities on Sunday reimposed lockdown measures on nearly 160,000 people in the region, which reported 800 new cases on Sunday. The new resolution obliged people to only leave their homes for work or other essential activities.

But the Catalonia Supreme Court said on Twitter that a district court in Lleida "decided not to ratify the measures of the July 12 resolution." The court said the regional government had overstepped it's powers.

In reaction to the ruling, Quim Torra, president of the regional government in Catalonia, asked people to stay home anyway and said he would develop a new decree that addresses any legal issues.

Spain has been the hardest hit European country during the coronavirus pandemic, reporting more than 250,000 cases and more than 28,000 deaths.

06:44 The Tokyo Olympics must go ahead next year as a symbol of world unity in overcoming the coronavirus pandemic, the city's Governor Yuriko Koike said in an interview Reuters news agency.

"I want to host them as a symbol of the world coming together to overcome this tough situation and of strengthened bonds among humankind," she said.

The Olympics were scheduled to start this month but were postponed to next year due to the pandemic.

Japan has not been as affected by the coronavirus outbreak as other countries, reporting 21,841 cases and 983 deaths since the pandemic began. But a recent spike in cases in Tokyo, where more than a third of national cases have been recorded, have some concerned over a second wave.

Koike has sought public support for the Olympics, but a recent media poll found that a majority think the Games should be canceled or postponed another year.

Japan: Coronavirus destroys livelihoods

06:03 The Hong Kong Book Fair, which attracts 1 million visitors annually, has been postponed due to a recent surge in locally transmitted coronavirus cases.

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council said the fair, set to kick off on Wednesday, will be rescheduled to a future, unspecified date. Three other fairs and expos in July have also been postponed.

Hong Kong reported 52 new cases of the coronavirus over the past 24 hours, 41 of which were locally transmitted. The city has recorded 1,521 cases and seven deaths since the pandemic began.

05:55 South Korean health authorities said one in three patients seriously ill from the coronavirus showed improvement after being given the antiviral drug remdesivir.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control (KCDC) said that of results from the first group of 27 patients in different hospitals, nine showed improvement, 15 showed no change and three worsened after receiving the drug.

The result of the study had yet to be compared with a control group to determine whether the improvement was due to the drug or other factors, such as the patient's immunity and other therapies, KCDC Deputy Director Kwon Jun-wook said.

Several countries, including South Korea, have added remdesivir to a list of approved treatments for COVID-19. Gilead Sciences Inc., the company which developed the drug, said its latest update helped reduce the risk of death in several seriously ill patients, but warned that several clinical trials were still needed to show its benefit. 

Gene mutation – how afraid should we be?

05:41 India has reported another single-day record of coronavirus cases, recording 28,701 new cases over the previous 24 hours to raise the national total to 878,254 cases. 

The country's Health Ministry also reported 500 new deaths, increasing the national total to 23,174.

New Dehli, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Pune are among the key cities where the outbreak has been most prominent. States have reinstituted lockdown measures after relaxing them in an attempt to bolster an ailing economy.

India has reported record surges each of the past four days. It has the third most cases worldwide behind the United States and Brazil.

04:47 Costa Rica will begin negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in order to access a financial aid package aimed at offsetting the economic blow of the coronavirus pandemic on the Central American nation, President Carlos Alvarado has said.

The president did not divulge the size of the package, but local media reports citing central bank sources said the aid could be around $2.25 billion (€1.99 billion).

The deal would help to offset shrinking government revenue. Costa Rica's 2020 deficit is on course to exceed 9.7% of gross domestic product, the country's Finance Ministry said.

"The extreme situation that COVID-19 has generated makes this agreement with the Fund essential to maintain the country's economic stability in the coming years," the president said on national television.

It is still too early to know what Costa Rica's obligations would be in the deal, the president said, but it would include reducing spending, increasing revenue, and streamlining public management.

"These details will be discussed not only with the IMF but also with key political actors such as the Legislative Assembly," he said.

As of Sunday night, Costa Rica had reported 7,596 cases of coronavirus, including 30 deaths.

04:37 In Australia, one out of 20 women has experienced domestic violence since the coronavirus pandemic began, a new survey has revealed.

The authors of the report by the Australian Institute of Criminology said increased time at home, social isolation, and financial stresses had all contributed to the statistic, based on an online survey of 15,000 women conducted in May.

According to the survey, 4.6% of all respondents, or one in 20, said they had experienced physical or sexual violence at the hand of a current or former live-in partner since February.

Of those women, two-thirds said the violence had started or escalated since coronavirus lockdowns and job losses began.

Of women who live with their partner, 8.8% said they had experienced domestic violence.

"It appears likely that the conditions and consequences associated with the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to an increase in domestic violence," the report's authors concluded.

The survey also revealed that 5.8% of women were victims of coercive control, while 11.6% of all women and 22.4% of women who live with their partner experienced emotionally abusive, harassing and controlling behaviors.

003:54 Japan and the US are exchanging information about a recent coronavirus outbreak at US military bases in Okinawa prefecture, a government spokesperson has said.

"Japan and the US are sharing information about activity history of infected military individuals," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a news briefing, after 62 new cases were confirmed at three US bases.

Local authorities said that nine people at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, 22 people in Camp Hansen and one person in Camp Kinser had tested positive for COVID-19 between July 7 to July 12.

03:46 Argentina has so far registered more than 100,000 COVID-19 cases, its Ministry of Health said, despite the Buenos Aires area — the country's coronavirus hot spot — being under extended shutdown. The country now has recorded 1,845 deaths from the pandemic with 100,153 positive cases and almost 43,000 people recovered.

The shutdown in the Buenos Aires area, the most populated region of the country, is due to end on Friday. Authorities are still debating what restrictions will remain in place, though the reopening of some shops and permits to run in parks are expected.

03:27 The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany has increased by 159 to 198,963, according to the latest data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases. The tally showed Germany's reported death toll rose by one to 9,064.

03:16 Australia's most populous state, New South Wales, has recorded 14 new cases of COVID-19, with a growing cluster at a southwest Sydney pub used by freight drivers traveling around the country triggering fears of a second national wave of the disease. 

Authorities have expressed concerns about surging cases of community transmission — which accounted for eight of the 14 new cases in New South Wales in the last 24 hours, while the rest were people who have returned from overseas or have returned from the neighboring state of Victoria. The majority of these community cases were people who recently visited the Crossroads Hotel pub, taking the cluster to 13 in all. 

"The concern is that this hotel is used by freight drivers who are transporting essential supplies across the country," Australia's Deputy Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd told local media. "They are not being tested." Meanwhile, Victoria reported 177 new infections in the past 24 hours. The state which holds Australia's second most populated city, Melbourne, last week forced some five million people back into lockdown after a jump in new COVID-19 cases.

02:17 Cuba has sent a team of 115 doctors and nurses to Azerbaijan to help the country fight the health crisis, marking the first time Cuban health professionals are serving the Central Asian country.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez tweeted that the "Henry Reeve" brigade "will share Cuba's experience to fight the pandemic and strengthen cooperation that such times demand."

Azerbaijan has registered more than 23,500 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, with 298 deaths. 

The first group of Cuban health workers deployed abroad amid the outbreak were sent to the northern Italian region of Lombardy where the brigade stayed for more than two months. Since then, Cuban health workers have traveled to some 30 countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Europe and the Middle East — at the request of the authorities of those nations — to help in the fight against the pandemic.

02:01 Mexico's death toll from the coronavirus crossed that of Italy on Sunday, according to data from the country's Health Ministry. Mexico reported 276 additional deaths on Sunday, taking its total to 35,006. Mexico is now behind the US, Brazil and the UK in number of deaths.

The country recorded 4,482 new infections on Sunday and now has 299,750 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Sunday that the "conservative media" was causing alarm about the pandemic. He claimed that the pandemic was "losing intensity" in Mexico.

01:30 The US recorded 59,747 new cases of the coronavirus over the past 24 hours, according to the latest data released by the Maryland-based Johns Hopkins University. The country has so far registered a total of 3.3 million infections. The country's death toll rose by 442 to 135,171.

The surge in infections comes at a time when President Donald Trump's administration is pressing for school reopenings in the fall. But the surge in cases has forced some state governors to retreat from earlier efforts to reopen their economies, with some now embracing the wearing of masks.

01:05 Many governments worldwide are failing to provide adequate protection for frontline health workers, Amnesty International has warned. The global rights organization said a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) for staff was found in almost all of the 63 countries and regions surveyed for Amnesty's report, "Exposed, silenced, attacked."

The group said it had collected reports of some 3,000 deaths of health workers in 79 countries, but said that the true death toll is likely to be much higher. It also highlighted other concerns such as long work hours, low pay and punishment for those who speak out against poor working conditions.

Amnesty said Russia and the UK had reported the highest numbers of deaths linked to COVID-19 infections among health workers, with at least 545 deaths in Russia and 540 in the UK. The study also confirmed that some groups of health workers were disproportionately affected by the pandemic, citing workers from Black and other ethnic minorities in the UK, examples from India's Dalit community and workers from Finland's Somali community.

00:45 Companies worldwide will take on a record $1 trillion (€880 billion) of new corporate debt in 2020 as they try to hold up their finances against the coronavirus pandemic, a new study of 900 top firms has estimated.   

The increase will see a total global corporate debt jump by 12% to around $9.3 trillion (€8.2 trillion) as the virus absorbs profits.

"COVID has changed everything," said Seth Meyer, a manager at Janus Henderson, the company that compiled the analysis for a new corporate debt index. "Now it is about conserving capital and building a fortified balance sheet."

Companies included in the new debt index already owe almost 40% more than they did in 2014, and growth in debt has outstripped growth in profits. US companies owe almost half of the world's corporate debt at $3.9 trillion.

Germany comes in at number two at $762 billion. It also has three of the world's most indebted companies including the most indebted, Volkswagen, with $192 billion of debt.

How the coronavirus affects the poor

00:27 British charity Save the Children has declared an "unprecedented education emergency" due to the global coronavirus pandemic. Up to 9.7 million children worldwide affected by school closures are at risk of never returning to class, the charity warned.

Citing UNESCO data, the NGO said that 1.6 billion young people were shut out of school and university in April due to COVID-19 restrictions — about 90% of the world's total student population. "For the first time in human history, an entire generation of children globally have had their education disrupted," the charity said in a new report entitled "Save our Education."

According to the report, the economic downturn of the pandemic could push an additional 90 to 117 million children into poverty, with a knock-on effect on school admissions and attendance. Many young people could be forced into work or early marriage to support families, resulting in between seven and 9.7 million children dropping out of school permanently.

Save the Children also said the coronavirus crisis could lead to a shortfall of $77 billion (€68 billion) in education budgets in low- and middle-income countries by the end of 2021. "Around 10 million children may never return to school — this is an unprecedented education emergency and governments must urgently invest in learning," Save the Children Chief Executive Inger Ashing said.

The charity listed 12 countries where children are most at risk: Niger, Mali, Chad, Liberia, Afghanistan, Guinea, Mauritania, Yemen, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal and Ivory Coast.

Read more: How coronavirus is affecting underprivileged children in India

00:00 Catch up on Sunday's coronavirus news here: Coronavirus latest: WHO logs record daily rise in cases

In reporting on the coronavirus pandemic, unless otherwise specified, DW uses figures provided by the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) Coronavirus Resource Center in the United States. JHU updates figures in real-time, collating data from world health organizations, state and national governments, and other public official sources, all of whom have their own systems for compiling information. 

Germany's national statistics are compiled by its public health agency, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). These figures depend on data transmission from state and local levels and are updated around once a day, which can lead to deviation from JHU. 

mvb,dv/sms (AP, dpa, AFP, Reuters)